ceed as if they were about to commence the
slaughter, when the Senior Knight says to him with the ink-horn:

"Stay thine hand; proceed no further until thou hast set a mark on
those that are faithful in the house of the Lord, and trust in the
power of his might. Take ye the signet, and set a mark on the
forehead of my people that have passed through great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood
of the Lamb, which was slain from the foundation of the world."

The Minister takes the signet and presses it on the candidate's
forehead. He leaves the mark in red letters, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
OF LORDS." The Minister opens the scroll and says, "Sir Invincible
Knight, the number of the sealed are one hundred and forty and four
thousand." The Invincible Knight strikes four, and all the Knights
stand before him. He says, "Salvation belongeth to our God, which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." All the members fall on
their faces, and say "Amen. Blessing, honor, glory, wisdom,
thanksgiving, and power, might, majesty, and dominion, be unto our God
forever and ever. Amen." They all cast down crowns and palm branches,
and rise up and say, "Great and numberless are thy works, thou King of
saints. Behold the star which I laid before Joshua, on which is
engraved seven eyes, as the engraving of a signet, shall be set as a
seal on thine arm--as a seal on thine heart; for love is stronger than
death: many waters cannot quench it. If a man would give all the
treasures of his house for love, he cannot obtain it; it is the gift
of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

CHARGE.--"Invincible Knight, I congratulate you on your having
been found worthy to be promoted to this honorable Order of
Knighthood. It is highly honorable to all those worthy Knights,
who with good faith and diligence, perform its many important
duties. The honorable situation to which you are now advanced, and
the illustrious office which you now fill is one that was much
desired by the first noblemen of Italy, but ambition and jealousy
caused his highness, Pope Alexander, to call on his ancient
friend, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem,
to guard his person and the Holy See, as those Knights were known
to be well grounded in the faith, and zealous followers of the
Lord. The members of the guard were chosen BY THEIR COUNTENANCES,
for it is believed that a plain